When Nick Miller of Chesterfield Township raised his .12-gauge Remington slug gun during last week’s youth hunt the 16-year-old thought he was looking at an eight-point buck.
“In the morning we saw a couple six-pointers and some does, but we do quality deer management and waited for a bigger buck to come along,” said Miller, a junior at L’Anse Creuse North High School. “In the afternoon, we saw a couple little ones, but then an eight-point followed them out. He was pretty good size.”
Hunting out of a homemade wood box ground blind on 120 acres of private property surrounded by cornfields in Sandusky on Sunday, Miller saw the biggest deer of the two-day youth hunt held Sept. 21-22.
“Me and my dad (Craig) came back from lunch and my dad said we would each get our own window to look out of,” Nick said. “I saw some smaller does walk out and usually they are followed by their mother, and then this eight-point walks out and into shooting range.”
The eight-point had velvet antlers and Nick said he thought it was a buck.
“His idea was to wait for an even bigger one,” said Nick’s father, Craig. “But I said ‘I’ve never seen one in velvet.’ Take it.”
Nick took one shot from about 70 yards out and the 8-point fell hard.
“We walked up on it and I told Nick ‘I’ve cleaned the last couple deer, now is your time,’” Craig said.
“I was nervous, my first time gutting a deer,” Nick recalled. “My dad was coaching me through it. He told me to ‘cut around the (testicles).’ I said ‘I can’t see any.’ ”
That’s because Nick’s eight-point buck was indeed an eight-point doe with velvet antlers.
“We knew what we had but I don’t know what to call it,” Nick laughed.
Craig, 46, told his son how doe can grow antlers if they have higher testosterone levels, which also explained why the deer had velvet antlers.
The eight-point doe was Craig’s third deer in just three years of hunting and his largest after participating in three successive youth hunts.
“I like fishing and playing intramural basketball with my friends,” Nick said. “But I like hunting too. We promote quality deer management on the property, so my next one will have to be bigger than this eight-point. If we need the meat, though, then I’d take a big doe, too.
“This was just really cool,” Nick continued. “It was good bonding and then to see a bunch of deer is fun. Dad’s out there helping me and we get one.”
Craig said he once again helped gut the deer, but texting and phone calls came soon after.
“We made some phone calls and started texting to see if anyone ever seen an eight-point in velvet,” Craig said. “When you have a child who get a deer it’s like Christmas all over. Once you have a kid and he gets that excitement of getting one it’s like Christmas.
“I’ve taken a lot of bucks, and I hunt in places like Saskatchewan, and never seen anything like this,” Craig said of his son’s eight-point doe. “That was really cool. It’s better than any buck I have on the wall.”Wolf licenses now on sale
Wolf hunting licenses went on sale Saturday, with a total of 1,200 licenses available for purchase. Wolf license sales end Oct. 31, or before, if the license quota is met.
Only an individual who possesses a previous hunting license (not apprentice) or hunter-safety certificate and who will be at least 10 years of age by the first day of the wolf season may purchase a wolf license. Apprentice wolf licenses are not available. It is unlawful to obtain or purchase more than one wolf hunting license.
All wolf license purchases are first-come, first-served. Wolf licenses cost $100 for residents and $500 for nonresidents. In addition, some licenses may be voided or canceled between the starting purchase date and the day before the hunt. Those licenses will be returned back into the license buying pool. Therefore, if licenses sell out temporarily, the DNR recommends that individuals check periodically between Sept. 28 and Oct. 31 to see if any wolf licenses are still available due to voids or cancellations.
Licenses will be available online at www.mdnr-elicense.com.Stony Creek cleanup on tap
On Sept. 11 one of Stony Creek Metropark’s resident bald eagles got tangled in fishing line left on the island shoreline. This unfortunate event has led to the organization of Stony’s first ever comprehensive Shoreline Cleanup.
While staff annually pulls picnic tables out of the lake, there has never been an organized shoreline cleanup — until now.
On Saturday Oct. 12, starting at noon at Winter Cove, folks can volunteer for the Stony Shoreline Cleanup organized by the Stony Creek Nature Center in partnership with the Clinton River Watershed Council.
“We expect to work until 3 p.m., depending on the number of volunteers,” said Ruth Glass, a Stony Creek nature Center volunteer.
A limited number of the following items will be provided: boots, waders, loppers, trash picking poles. You may want to bring your own boots and working tools, including small collapsible hand saws; and a walking stick for balance in deep mud. Plenty of trash bags, gloves and beverages will be on hand.
If there is heavy rain or inclement weather day, then organizer said the cleanup will take place on Sunday, Oct. 13, from noon to 3 p.m.
Glass said they are seeking two pairs of veteran, experienced paddlers to paddle canoes along the east and west shorelines of Upper Stony Lake to retrieve fish line and other wildlife hazards. For more information, call the Nature Center at (586) 781-9113.Asian carp close to Lake Michigan
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, author of the Stop Invasive Species Act that was signed into law by President Obama in July 2012, said something more needs to be done after the discovery of an Asian carp in Flatfoot Lake, which is close to Lake Michigan.
“There are thousands of Michigan jobs that rely on the Great Lakes, and we need more than temporary fixes,” Stabenow said in a statement. “If Asian carp are not stopped before they enter the Great Lakes, they could destroy the ecosystem, as well as the boating and fishing industries, and hundreds of thousands of jobs.”
The 53-inch, 82-pound carp was caught in Flatfoot Lake near Chicago.
Flatfoot Lake is located next to Calumet River, which feeds directly into Lake Michigan. Recent research found that as few as 10 Asian carp are needed to establish a breeding population.
This discovery further underscores the Army Corps of Engineers’ responsibility to find a solution for keeping Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes, Stabenow said.
The Stop Invasive Species Act, written by Stabenow and Congressman Dave Camp, requires the Army Corps to deliver concrete options, including full hydrological separation of the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River basin, to stop Asian carp. The bill passed Congress and was signed by President Obama last year.Just a reminder
Archery deer season opens Oct. 1. … The South Macomb Whitetails Unlimited Banquet will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 9 at Basillian Manor. Call (586) 268-0937. … The Southeastern Michigan Indians Banquet is 6 p.m. on Oct. 15 at Palazzo Grande in Shelby Township. Call (810) 459-0669. … Pheasant season opens in zone 1 on Oct. 10. … The Lake St. Clair Walleye Association meets Oct. 16 at Lakeland Banquet and Event Centre. Visit www.lscwa.net.

Tom Watts writes a weekly outdoors column for 21st Century Media. Contact him at tomwattsoutdoors@gmail.com.